HDC Complaints Process
Sarah made this Official Information request to Health and Disability Commissioner
The request was successful.
From: Sarah
Dear Health and Disability Commissioner,
As I can't find any email on your website in regards to official information act requests I'm posting in here.
I would like to know if the HDC Complaints Resolution Process provides a decision outcome letter for the consumer and the service provider in regards to a complaint. This in the past has been the usual process. New Zealanders should be able to receive a professional document outlining how a decision outcome has been reached.
Correspondence I've read this morning suggests that the HDC no longer does and instead the Complaints Admin team are emailing decision outcomes on behalf of senior staff without the appropriate attached pdf.
If the consumer is required to seek further external support outside of the HDC, I believe it would be reasonable to have a decision outcome letter for the consumer to reference too, rather than a print out of an email.
Yours faithfully,
Ms Brodrick
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- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence
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Sarah left an annotation ()
The HDC has decided to email me directly about this matter. Please see below an insert from the Health and Disability Commissioner's Legal team.
Explanation of HDC’s change to communicating decisions
"HDC previously communicated all decisions with a formal letter signed by the relevant staff member. In 2024 this process was changed. Some decisions are now communicated by email. The rationale for this change was that the drafting, review, and signing of letters can take up a considerable amount of HDC’s resources. The time saved can be used to assess and resolve our open complaints. Decisions communicated by email still follow HDC’s usual decision-making process and information relevant to the decision is still included in the email. HDC’s website and standard operating procedures have been updated to reflect the change. You may seek a review of this decision from the Office of the Ombudsman or the Privacy Commissioner."
Alice Coventry
Deputy Chief Legal Advisor
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